U.S. Senator Dick Durbin was caught lying today at the Chicago Tribune editorial board session when asked about his role in the IRS scandal.Durbin was asked unequivocally whether he or his U.S. Senate staff had ANY contact with the IRS during the IRS scandal other than the well-publicized letter he wrote asking the IRS to target Crossroads GPS on Oct. 10, 2010.

Durbin responded that there was no other correspondence upon questioning by opponent Jim Oberweis, a Republican state senator from Sugar Grove.

Oberweis then produced an email from a Durbin staffer to an IRS staffer two days after the Crossroads letter. The email was first revealed by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in its June 16, 2014 report titled, "How Politics Led the IRS to Target Conservative Tax-Exempt Applicants for the Political Beliefs."

"Dick Durbin flat-out lied to the Tribune editorial board. This is important because we don't know how deep Dick Durbin's role was in the IRS scandal that he himself characterized as reminiscent of the worst abuses of the Richard Nixon era," Oberweis said.

Quinn on Monday launched a new ad attacking a business deal of Republican challenger Bruce Rauner, though the dots the Democrat uses to attack the Republican don’t necessarily connect.

The new ad focuses on HomeBanc Mortgage Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in 2007. A narrator contends the bankruptcy came after Rauner “took millions out of” the firm, noted HomeBanc’s CEO got a $5 million “bonus” and 1,100 employees who lost their jobs “got a $20 gift card.”

The equity firm Rauner formerly chaired, GTCR, partnered in 2000 to create HomeBanc Mortgage. While GTCR once held a majority stake in the firm, it reduced its holdings after a public stock offering, selling the last of its shares in September 2006, Security and Exchange Commission records show.

GTCR’s actions came just months before the sudden financial unraveling of the mortgage company in 2007 led first to the January firing of CEO Patrick Flood, followed by an August bankruptcy filing. But GTCR had no board members on the mortgage firm involved in its management since 2005, prior to Flood’s firing and severance, and the bankruptcy filing. Records show Rauner was not a board member of HomeBanc in the lead up to its public offering in 2004.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Since the Great Recession ended, Illinois’ food-stamp enrollment has outpaced job creation by a ratio of nearly 2-to-1.

The jobs versus food stamps comparison is a strong indicator of economic hardship. And compared to the rest of the Midwest, Illinoisans are truly feeling the pain.

Since the Great Recession ended, Illinois is the only state in the Midwest to have more people end up on food stamps than in a job. Every other state in the Midwest has had more job creation than food-stamp enrollment. In fact, North Dakota, Missouri and Michigan have actually seen their food-stamp enrollment decline since January 2010, while also adding a healthy number of new payroll jobs.

The Illinois State Board of Elections is putting a stop to a practice that's allowed political campaigns to hide some of their spending....At least two major candidates this year have been paying staff through outside payroll companies: Democrat Mike Frerichs, who's running for treasurer, uses ADP...The problem comes in that payments were reported as being made to the companies, not the individual employees. This seems to violate state campaign rules, which requiresuch payments be itemized by the ultimate recipient of the money.

Rupert Brogsmiller, director of the State Board of Elections, says this kind of thing first became a problem years ago when credit cards became common.

“You would have an expenditure to MasterCard or Visa, but it wouldn’t really explain as to how that money was actually spent,” Borgsmiller says.

The payroll flap was first reported by the conservative Illinois Review website.

A spokesman for Frerichs called the lack of disclosure an "oversight," and says the campaign updated its filings the same day the problem was brought to its attention.*

With four days to go in the month of September, we already have topped the charts in terms of sessions, unique visitors, pageviews, and time on site. Thanks guys for tuning in, sending us tips, and (hopefully) laughing along with us at home.

Earlier this year, we here at the Illinois Truth Team introduced our 'Correspondents Program' where folks can join with us to provide posts, memes, and tips for inclusion on the site. We've been fortunate to get a steady stream of posts, story ideas, leads and tips from the first batch of 'correspondents'.

But we want to do more. The editorial staff here at the Truth Team can only post so much every day (and lately...it has only been about Mike Frerichs!), so we want to encourage others to contribute their content.

Let's use this platform to really have an impact on the elections in November.

With the election less than six weeks away, we know that there are voters out there who have opinions and want to share them. That's why we're opening up the 'Correspondents Program' once again: if you're interested in contributing to the Truth Team, drop us a line @ tipthetruthteam@gmail.com.

We're particularly interested in finding people who can cover a beat: perhaps that's one of the statewide races (Governor, Comptroller), the US Senate race between Dick Durbin and Jim Oberweis, or even a Statehouse/State Senate race.

Or...if you are an elected official (*ahem*) and want to run a byline piece, we'd love to work with you to get your message out to our audience.

Send us your details and what you're interested in covering via email at tipthetruthteam@gmail.com. From there....We'll give you all the info you need to get going so you can get your contribution up on the Truth Team.

Chapa LaVia promised two more hearings, one in Chicago and another downstate. The former was scheduled for July 8 downtown, but then postponed. It is finally going to be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at South Shore International High School on the Southeast Side.

The timing and location are curious. In politics, this is called a “news dump,” when someone in government schedules a press conference or releases information at the end of the work week in the hope no one pays attention.

Holding the hearing a few hours before football games kick off around the state — and while some are actually going on in Chicago — guarantees there won’t be as many IHSA-backing principals and athletic directors on hand as last time. The location, at a neighborhood school not close to any expressways, also discourages attendance.

We might have found it: a Friday afternoon during high school football season that likely is *somebody's* Homecoming.

But..that's what is happening. And...it stinks of 'shenanigans'. There's a committee in the House that wants to take up discussion about the 'feasiblity of the State Board of Education taking over the functions of the IHSA (Illinois High School Athletics Association). (Shouldn't it be IHSAA?!? nevermind...)

And that committee, chaired by Democrat State Representative Linda Chapa-LaVia has called a meeting for 4:00 pm TODAY (Friday) at a Chicago school to gather testimony.

“This is a blatant example of political shenanigans at its finest,” said Wheeler, a member of the committee. “This is a late Friday afternoon on a football Friday during Homecoming season. All schools are going to be ‘all hands on deck’ with their local sporting events and will be unable to send representation to the hearing.”“They could not possibly have made this hearing more inconvenient for the major stakeholders who stand to lose the most,” said Wheeler. “Families, coaches, volunteers and players will be busy that night with local sporting events, but I believe it’s by design. I must wonder if they want to shut the major stakeholders out of the discussion.”

The only reason to have the meeting today is because the powers-that-be don't really want testimony. They want to accomplish their goals without getting the important stakeholders that disagree with them to stay silent.

We can't let that happen.

You can email her at: Chapa-laviali@ilga.gov or call her at her district office at (630) 264-6855.

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka is on the front lines of dealing with the disaster that the 3-headed monster of Governor Pat Quinn, Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton have created when it comes to the state's finances.

Illinois for several years has been delaying the payment of billions of dollars in bills for months at a time. This has caused schools, hospitals and social service agencies to borrow money, cut jobs and services and take on personal debt.

Topinka boasts that she has implemented a policy of prioritizing payments for not-for-profit and service agencies that serve the state's most vulnerable residents. She says there are "no favorites" but that she works with state agencies, lawmakers and vendors themselves to understand which situations are most dire.

Make no mistake, Illinois. We got in this mess because of the total control the Democratic Party has had on our state. They have veto-proof majorities in both chambers in Springfield and we've had three terms of Blagojevich/Quinn to drive us further into debt.

Been a tough few days for Mike Frerichs since his campaign decided to post this sign up in their campaign office. They thought it would motivate Mike himself - and the full team - to 'up their game' and stop making mistakes.

But...they didn't heed the warnings and the sign kept getting reset.

The week started bad when their social media 'team' had to double-tweet something because they forgot what an @message looks like.

That's right. Mike Frerichs - the same guy who is trying to make an issue of the illuminati some organization that nobody really understands in the Treasurer's race - actually introduced an ALEC-drafted fracking bill back in 2012. It was SB 3280.

The sponsor of SB 3280, Senator Michael Frerichs told the Associated Press, "I think no piece of legislation makes everyone happy," but "I think we've struck a nice balance between the concerns of environmentalists and new industry."

Facts are a terrible thing to have to deal with. Especially when you can't remember your *own* voting record.

Especially when you're trying to juggle taking all the selfies you post on Facebook while at the same time trying to be all over the 'earmuff enthusiast' online message boards when the latest earmuff-related fall fashions are breaking. Not to mention trying to campaign for Illinois Treasurer.

Everyone recognizes that Mike Frerichs knowledge of his *own* voting record isn't his strong suit. After all, he launched his campaign with a video that he had to take down because he claimed he voted one way when he actually voted the other way.

Then...yesterday...Mike Frerichs flailed away on his opponent - Tom Cross - about an organization named ALEC, trying to tie Tom Cross alone to this group.

But...shortly after Mike's Maize Canine Leftie sent out his breathless release, the news came out that Mike Frerichs, himself, introduced an ALEC-drafted fracking bill a few years back. And...it was probably a TERRIBLE bill.

We got this exclusive shot of the reaction of Mike Frerichs - Candidate for Treasurer - after his press puppy tells him that things are going sideways on the whole ALEC thing. Turns out, he sponsored a bill back in the day that was written - partially - by ALEC.

Whoops. But...hardly surprising that Mike Frerichs would get something wrong.

While we've never heard a candidate respond this way, it seems appropriate based on how the campaign is going for Mike Frerichs and team down in Champaign.

In his own signature way, our favorite latex salesman candidate for Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs flailed about today with a release about his opponent.

But, it wasn't just signature because it was written 'breathlessly', but also because it was wrong. (can't you just hear the shrieks that typically come out of a teen's basement sleepover whenever you read something from Mike? Is it us alone that feels that way? Can't be, right?!?)

As he attempts to tie his opponent to the illuminati some organization that nobody really understands, he fumbles in typical Mike Frerichs fashion.

He points out that his opponent was at some event back in 2011?

Pix or it didn't happen is how we work around here at the Truth Team.

And..unfortunately for Mike Frerichs...There are pix of his opponent. Just not at the conference.

“Congresswoman Bustos is wrong,” Schweppe said. “Her word isn’t good. She didn’t make a mistake—she made a promise. She made a promise and she broke it. If she wants to make good, she should give back the money. Period.

“And to say her word is good after everything she has ‘misspoken’ about—the shutdown pay, the investment in a Chinese company that ships American jobs overseas, the veterans cuts, the slanderous statements about Bobby Schilling’s employer—is almost laughable but mostly just sad at this point.”

There's just 40 days left until we elect a new Governor, new State Treasurer and a bunch of important races in Congress and the State House.

What are you doing to make a difference?

If you haven't already head over to http://www.onerepublican.gop/ where the Illinois Republican Party is collecting volunteer information to put together a GOTV program that will make a difference on November 4th.

Paul Schimpf, candidate for Illinois Attorney General has released his #5 'reason' to vote for him over incumbent Lisa Madigan and it centers on education.

From the Schimpf campaign:

Republican Attorney General candidate Paul Schimpf unveiled Reason #5 of the 14 Reasons to Trust a Retired Marine in 2014 on WZUS’s Busboom and Wolfe. Schimpf, who is counting down these reasons leading up to the election in November, stated:“I believe that one of the roles of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office is to limit the intrusive reach of government upon people’s private lives. Accordingly, parents and local school boards should have the right to make educational decisions for their children. As such, I will work to ensure that home school children are afforded the educational opportunities commensurate with those of public school children. As Attorney General, I will aggressively defend the right of parents to educate their children in the manner in which they see fit.”

Hey! But that's all in the past. We here at the Truth Team have our fingers crossed that you can make it through the day without a mistake, gaffe, blunder, what-have-you. If you do, we'll update the sign with a big, fat one.

The bill requires that results of water tests be placed on the website of a state agency (DNR) that has nothing to do with the water tests. It is already posted there. On the Water Watch website of the IEPA.

So...the bill - which Mike Frerichs *could* have sponsored in the Senate, but failed to at that time (even though...his bestie in the House was the sponsor of the bill) is just a totally unnecessary - and frankly misguided - approach to notifying the public?

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

You couldn't script a campaign narrative better than the one that Treasurer's candidate Mike Frerichs and his brain trust down in Champaign have been pulling off.

If you wanted to sum up the campaign in one word it would be: bumbling.

They CONTINUE to make mistake after mistake. Sure...lots of them are small things - like using 'compliment' instead of 'complement', but when you add them all up it shows a clear pattern of ineptitude and laziness.

Today, in a breathless response posted over on Rich Miller's Capitol Fax, Mike Frerichs points out that Tom Cross is a member of the "Republic Party". Not the "Republican" or even the "GOP". Nope. The "Republic Party". Check it out on this post:

Seems as if someone - *ahem* the campaign press guy - has been spending too much time wading into the comment section over there to take the time to actually craft an intelligent, and error-free response?

The event was scheduled for today - September 24th. See this screenshot - from the original post - of the event created by Treasurer's candidate Mike Frerichs.

But...when you go to Mike Frerichs' events page that lists all the upcoming events, you discover that there's no mention - at all - of Jim Cornelison. Any mention of him or his event has been totally scrubbed from history.

In typical Mike Frerichs for Treasurer-fashion, Tax Hike Mike's campaign has breathlessly posted a bunch of 'events' on their Facebook wall. We here at the Truth Team have to believe that Mike and his team don't actually think too much about what they post, they just flail away.

And..that's good news for us, because it gives us a bunch of fodder.

The latest example is the event listing they have for tomorrow down in Kankakee. It has been up on his wall for weeks, and unfortunately...no one - and we mean no one is going.

It is a 'free' event, and still they can't get people to come out to support Mike Frerichs' sinking campaign? He's even enlisted folks like Lisa Dugan and Democrat County Chairman John Willard to round up some attendees. And...still nobody.

As in Zero.Point.Zero.

Talk about an enthusiasm gap. At least he can point at Sheila Simon as being further down the line from him in terms of support? That's something?

Tonight I received the endorsement of the United Mine Workers of America’s Coal Miners Political Action Committee (COMPAC).

When it comes to coal and coal jobs, it’s personal to me. Throughout the years, I’ve seen how some of the biggest employers in this area have been forced to close due to the decisions and regulations coming from Washington and the devastation that has on area families and the local economy. So, I’m honored and humbled to have the support of area coal miners and their families, and will continue to fight on their behalf in Washington.

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